MOSHE
RASHKES
Honored: 1998
Location: Israel
Moshe Rashkes, director of the Israel
(Ilan) Centre for the Physically Disabled, Ramat Gan,
since 1965, is an icon among Israel’s remarkable
rehabilitative sports programs for disabled children
and world-class disabled athletes.
Rashkes was seriously wounded in Israel’s 1948 War of Independence and
awarded a Citation of Valour. In 1950, he was named chairman of the Israel Disabled
War Veteran’s Organization, where he was responsible, through 1958, for
rehabilitation of more than 6,000 disabled war veterans. Among his pioneering
ideas were sports activities keyed to assisting disabled veterans’ re-integration
into society.
When Rashkes joined what was then the Ilan Centre for the Physically Disabled
in the Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Gan, the facility provided services for fewer
than 100 children. As the Israel Sports Centre, it grew to become one of the
largest and most successful rehab sports facilities in the world, encompassing
more than 2,500 disabled athletes.
A primary result of Rashkes’ efforts has been an increase in public awareness
and understanding of the crucial nature of sports activities for the disabled
and recognition of these activities as an integral part of sports both in Israel
and throughout the world.
Rashkes has authored four books, including Doomed to Glory, published in 1995,
which outlines his philosophy of rehabilitative sports.
The Lifetime Achievement Award is presented annually, honoring those individuals
who have made significant contributions to the State of Israel and society through
sports.
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